The disclosure relates generally to inflatable apparatus and more specifically to inflatable apparatus for aircraft.
Inflatable aircraft escape slides have several requirements including beam strength of the tubes. Tests simulate the effect of tightly grouped evacuees, so as to maximize the number of evacuees who can safely and quickly exit the aircraft in real-life deployment.
Existing modes of strengthening evacuation slides have attendant weight penalties. Thicker walls and/or larger tubes use more structural material for a relatively small increase in strength. Similarly, increased pressures require larger and/or higher pressure inflation bottles, both of which also increase weight of the slide assembly.